Sunderland's run of 11 league games without victory is a far cry from the solid start the Wearside club made to the Premier League season.
A battling draw with Manchester United was followed by notable wins over Arsenal and Liverpool, albeit the latter with the help of a deflection from a stray beach ball.
Six wins from their first 13 games led manager Steve Bruce to proclaim he had a "tingle" of excitement about his Black Cats' chances this year.
However, with no wins since November, he is now left with a major headache about how to arrest the alarming slump.
"The one thing I am not going to do is give up on it," said Bruce.
The loss of the combative Lee Cattermole and an unsettled defence have been factors in Sunderland's slide towards the relegation zone. But so has the loss of form of striker Kenywne Jones, whose early season performances saw him compared with Chelsea's Didier Drogba.
Jones's goal in Saturday's 1-1 draw with Wigan was only his second in his last 14 games. Talk of a transfer to Liverpool in January did not help but the forward said he was not to blame.
"I have never said I wanted to leave. I don't have control what is in the press," he said. "All I can control is my performance and that is what I aim to do."
Portsmouth's 2-1 FA Cup win over Sunderland last month was their only high during their own recent turbulent times.
They are seven points adrift at the bottom of the table following Saturday's 5-0 demolition by Manchester United.
But manager Avram Grant said he still has harbours hope that his team can beat the drop.
"If we have a chance then we will fight. We're in a difficult situation but we accept the challenge," said Grant.
@Email:akhan@thenational.ae
Portsmouth v Sunderland, 11.45pm, Showsports 3
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request